(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wire guiding out structure of a wire protector, in which wires are bent toward a connection direction thereof and guided out from the wire protector. The wire protector is employed in a battery connecting plate for use in, for example, an electric vehicle.
(2) Description of the Related Art
FIG. 7 illustrates a wire protector employed in a battery connecting plate for use in an electric vehicle, which is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-120986.
This wire protector 61 is produced inside a resin body 63 by an insert molding in a state that a plurality of wires 62 are wired in a required pattern.
The wires 62 consists of a trunk part 64 at the center and a plurality of branch parts 65 branching off left and right from the trunk part 64. The wires 62 in a bundle are straightly guided out from the branch parts 65 toward outside. At a branch part 63, a terminal 66 is crimp-connected to an end of the wires 62 and an electric contact 67 having a square plate-shape of the terminal 66 is exposed to the outside of the branch part 63. In a frame 68 of the branch part 63, a part for connecting to a fuse of the terminal 66 is exposed.
A fuse (not shown in the figure) is connected to the part for connecting to the fuse in an after process and the electric contact 67 is connected to the wires 62 by way of the fuse. An electrode 70 of a battery 69 (see FIG. 10) is inserted through the electric contact 67 and the wires 62 are connected to an external voltage detector (not shown in the figure).
FIG. 8 shows a battery connecting plate 72, in which the above wire protector 61 (see FIG. 7) is insert molded in a resin body 71.
The wires 62 (the trunk part) are straightly guided out from one end of the plate 72 (resin body 71) toward outside. As shown in FIG. 9, these plurality of wires 62 are bent by about 90xc2x0 toward a connecting direction and bundled by a band 48 made of synthetic resin. The band 48 is fixed with a hole 49 of the wire protector 61. This bending and fixing of the wires 62 may be performed before the wire protector 61 is insert molded.
In FIG. 8, a rectangular bus bar 90 made of conductive metal is connected to the electric contact 67 of the terminal 66 (see FIG. 7) for use in voltage detection and in such a situation the insert molding is performed. The bus bar 90 has two holes 73, into which the male screw-type electrode 70 of each battery 69 (see FIG. 10) is inserted and tightened with a nut (not shown in the figure). The bus bar 90 connects two adjacent batteries 69 in series.
The electric contact 67 of the terminal 66 (see FIG. 7) is tightened at a hole 73 of the bus bar 90 by a nut. Near an end of the plate 72, a bus bar 74 having one hole is disposed and a wire (not shown in the figure) for supplying electric power is connected to the bus bar 74.
FIG. 10 illustrates that the battery connecting plate 72 is connected to the electrode 70 at one end of the cylindrical battery 69 and that the other battery connecting plate 75 is connected to an electrode 76 at an opposite end of the battery 69.
The battery 69 is inserted into a holder 78 having a plurality of round holes 77, then the plates 72 and 75 are connected to the electrodes 70 and 76, respectively, being tightened with nuts. The holder 78 is fixed on a vehicle body by brackets 79 and bolts 80. The terminal 66 for use in voltage detection is disposed on the plate 72 and the wires 62 continuing to the terminal 66 are guided out toward the direction of connection.
However, as to the conventional wire protector 61 described above, as shown in FIG. 9, a process that the guided out wires 62 are bent toward the direction of connection so as to be fixed with the band 48 is a time-consuming work and has a poor workability.
FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate a wire guiding out structure of a wire protector that was designed by the present applicant previously.
In this structure, a tub-like wire guide wall 34 for guiding wires out is integrally formed at the front end of a protector body 50 made of synthetic resin. Inside the wire guide wall 34, there is formed a guide groove 52 extending perpendicularlly to an insertion path 51 for trunk wires (see FIG. 12) of the protector body 50. At an end of the guide groove 52, there is provided a band 53 for bundling wires.
A plurality of wires 54 (see FIG. 12), passed through the insertion path 51 for trunk wires of the protector body 50, are bent along the guide groove 52 to be guided out toward outside and fixed by a band 53. Bent portions 54a and 54b of the wires 54 are protected from being interfered from outside by the wire guide wall 34. A terminal (not shown in the figure) is crimped on an end of each wire 54 and each terminal is inserted in a connector 55. The protector 57, in which a cover 56 (see FIG. 12) is put on the protector body 50, is insert molded within a resin (similarly to FIG. 8), thereby a battery connecting plate is formed. The plate is connected to a voltage detector through the connector 55.
However, as to the conventional wire guiding out structure of a wire protector, in order to mold the wire guide groove 34 integrally with the protector body 50, a mold has to have a space for the wires 54 to step aside at the guiding out side of the wires 54 with respect to the mold, therefore, the structure of the mold becomes complicated and the cost thereof becomes high. In addition, a plurality of wires 54 must be bent and installed within the narrow guide groove 52, causing a time-consuming work. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 12, the wires 54 from the protector body 50 once arise upward (perpendicularlly) and then bend laterally (horizontally) in the guide groove 52, therefore, the cover 56 easily comes off due to a force arised in an upper direction in FIG. 12, resulting in that the wires 54 in the guide groove 52 are dispersed and broken out from the guide groove 52.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to solve the above problem and to provide a wire guiding out structure of a wire protector, which prevents the mold, for forming the wire guide wall at the protector body made of resin, from becoming complicated and expensive, enables the wires guided out from the protector body to bend in a direction of connection easily and securely, and prevents the cover from coming off upon the bending of the wires.
In order to attain the above objective, the present invention is to provide a wire guiding out structure of a wire protector comprising: a protector body for receiving wires; a cover for covering the protector body; a wire guiding out portion of the protecter body, by which the wires are bent and guided out; a wire guide wall retractively formed in the wire guiding out portion in use of flexible hinges; wire guiding out walls provided at both sides of the wire guiding out portion; and a notched opening formed inbetween the wire guiding out walls, for being engaged with the wire guide wall, wherein the wires are bent and guided out along the wire guide wall in a state of the wire guide wall being closed.
The wire guide wall further comprises a hook and the wire guiding out portion further comprises a supporting shaft to be engaged with the hook.
The wire guide wall further comprises latches and the wire guiding out walls further comprise engaging parts to be engaged with the latches.
The wire guiding out portion further comprises engaging holes to be engaged with latches of the cover.
Except the wire guiding out portion, the wire protector is insert molded within a resin material so as to form a part of a battery connecting plate.